SSC declares results even as CBI probe is on into exam

Staff Selection Commission on Wednesday evening published the result of the contentious CGL-tier II examinations held in February. The examination became controversial following allegations that some students had access to questions and answer keys. Screen shots of answer keys of the online test were shared on social media and attracted country-wide protests. Candidates from across the country made a beeline to Delhi over several weeks to protest.

The SSC, which conducts eligibility tests for recruitment of lower level employees by the Government of India, had recommended a CBI inquiry into the examination. The central agency had filed a PE and named seven candidates, unknown SSC officials and invigilators and an official of the vendor (SIFY) entrusted with the task of conducting the online examination.

But while the SSC chairman Ashim Khurana, given one year extension in service by the Modi Government after amending SSC rules to increase the upper age limit for the post, had earlier declared that the result would not be declared till the CBI completed its investigation.

However, SSC has not only declared the result but is also learnt to have extended the contract of the vendor under a cloud.

Three million candidates had applied to take the examination but 1.5 million of them actually appeared at the examination according to SSC. While 1.89 lakh candidates had cleared the tier I examination, 47,003 candidates have now been declared to have cleared the tier II exam.

“There is no point declaring the results when CBI is conducting an inquiry into the examination. We wish that CBI completes the inquiry at the earliest so that we can declare the results,” Indian Express had quoted SSC Chairman Ashim Khurana as saying on March 6.

However, the Commission announced the results for SSC CGL-tier II examinations late on Wednesday, June 06.

Outside the SSC’s headquarters in Delhi and across the country, thousands of students had protested against the leakage of CGL tier-II examination question papers and demanded an investigation into all the examinations conducted by the Commission in 2017.

However, the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), at the behest of SSC chief Khurana, directed the enquiry only for the CGL tier-II examinations held between February 17 to 22, 2018. The CBI vindicated candidates’ claim in its FIR by saying that the question papers were indeed leaked and, among others, held Sant Prasad Gupta, a SIFY official entrusted with handling the question papers, responsible for the leak.

The recent happenings, many candidates alleged, is nothing but a message to the youth that “neither SSC, nor the government cares” about the youth and their problems.